Meeting the Moment: ABA leaders call for lawyers to respond to current challenges and look to the future

ABA President Mary Smith is urging members to “meet the moment” by helping the next generation of lawyers, protecting democracy and addressing how technology will change the practice of law.

Apr 1, 2024 12:25 AM CDT

ABA member dues will be raised for the first time since 2015

For the first time in a decade, ABA member dues will be rising. A new member dues structure will go into effect on Sept. 1.

Apr 1, 2024 12:20 AM CDT

Academic freedom standards are now part of ABA’s accreditation process for law schools

Apr 1, 2024 12:15 AM CDT

Do state abortion bans conflict with federal Medicare funding law? Delegates take a position

Resolution 507 opposes all legislation, regulations, administrative interpretations and litigation that restrict the right of health care providers or hospitals that receive Medicare funding to provide patients with abortions in emergency situations.

Feb 5, 2024 6:03 PM CST

‘Prisons Are Often Horrible Places’: How can Death in Custody Reporting Act be better enforced?

The House of Delegates addressed the national “deaths in custody crisis” during the ABA Midyear Meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, on Monday.

Feb 5, 2024 5:34 PM CST

Protect trans and gender nonconforming students from forced outing, ABA House urges

The ABA House of Delegates on Monday passed a resolution aimed at protecting transgender and gender nonconforming students from forced outing policies.

Feb 5, 2024 4:59 PM CST

New dues rates for ABA members announced

For the first time in a decade, the ABA is raising its dues, but most members will still be paying less than they did in 2015.

Feb 5, 2024 4:35 PM CST

History and voices of marginalized communities belong in school curricula and should not be banned, ABA House says

Schools must be allowed and encouraged to include the experiences of marginalized communities in classrooms, along with access to books and resources reflecting their voices, the ABA says.

Feb 5, 2024 4:10 PM CST

ABA is ‘ultimate resource’ for lawyers, says Alpha Brady, first African American executive director

In a speech Monday during the 2024 ABA Midyear Meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, ABA Executive Director Alpha M. Brady said she was “humbled and proud” of the journey that led her to taking over leadership in July 2023.

Feb 5, 2024 3:19 PM CST

Rohingya human rights must be protected, ABA House urges

The House of Delegates is urging the United States and other countries to stop human rights violations and genocide involving the Rohingya, a Muslim minority that lived in Myanmar’s Rakhine state for generations until military crackdowns in 2017 forced nearly 1 million to flee to Bangladesh and other surrounding countries.

Feb 5, 2024 1:45 PM CST

Amber Alert system is not working for missing Native Americans, but there may be fixes

At the ABA Midyear Meeting, the House of Delegates acknowledged the disproportionate risks of abduction and violence experienced by members of Alaska Native and Native American communities.

Feb 5, 2024 1:40 PM CST

Incentivize alternatives to animal research, ABA House says

The ABA House of Delegates on Monday at the 2024 ABA Midyear Meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, adopted a resolution urging Congress and federal agencies to promote the development and use of methods that aim to replace, reduce and refine the use of animal models in research and testing.

Feb 5, 2024 12:40 PM CST

Free speech and academic freedom standards will now be part of ABA accreditation process

Law schools will now be asked to explicitly protect free speech rights for faculty, students and staff as part of the ABA accreditation process. Though law school faculty have long enjoyed protections for academic freedom, this would be the first accreditation standard to address free speech for the entire community within law schools.

Feb 5, 2024 11:55 AM CST

ABA President Mary Smith urges members to protect democracy and help the next generation ‘meet the moment’

ABA President Mary Smith is urging members to “meet the moment” by helping the next generation of lawyers, protecting democracy and addressing how technology will change the practice of law.

Feb 5, 2024 11:10 AM CST

Extra protections are needed for youths navigating immigration system, ABA House says

The federal government should better protect immigrant youths, and particularly immigrant youths of color, through the yearslong adjudication of their Special Immigrant Juvenile Status petition and adjustment of their status application to lawful permanent residence, the ABA House of Delegates said.

Feb 5, 2024 11:00 AM CST